Is there anywhere as beautiful as London in November? We think not.
Spooky season has finished which means one thing… It’s time to get out the tinsel and start to celebrate all things Christmas. Ultimate cosy vibes await.
Not sure where to start? We’ve got you. Here’s a roundup of the top things going on in the capital this month – from food festivals and dance classes to festive film screenings sure to put you in the November mood.
Things to do in London in November
Watch Something at the French Film Festival
Citywide
1st of November – 14th of December
The UK’s only Francophone film festival kicks off this month with screenings across the country and several locations in London.
You can see the recently released (and well received) Anatomy of a Fall with a Q&A session with the director herself, Justine Triet. Driving Madeline and The Taste of Things are two more recent releases that you’ll be able to catch at venues around London (and probably should).
Of course, there are heaps more films on show. You can see the full list here. And if you’re too lazy to get yourself down to your nearest Curzon you can also stream it via the interwebs.
Tres bon!
Catch a Fireworks Display
Citywide
Multiple Dates
From the Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival to musical fireworks displays at Wimbledon Park, London loves fireworks night. Throw on your gloves and wellies and get ready to celebrate the 5th of November in true British style.
You can get the full low-down on the capital’s best fireworks displays here
See the Christmas Lights Turn On
Citywide
Multiple dates
With the festive season on the horizon it’s time to get the city lookin’ pretty. All around London this month there will be Christmas lights going up and turning on.
Some of the spots will be going the extra mile and putting on things like food stands or Santa’s grottos, and you can read all about that in the guide below.
Read More: Lights Up! All the Dates for London’s Christmas Light Switch-Ons Announced So Far
Drink Yourself Silly at a Beer Festival
Walthamstow
2nd – 4th November
Beer drinker, you may be mourning the end of Oktoberfest but there’s an event coming up in early November to keep the party alive. It’s the Big Penny Beer Fest, a gathering of some great independent breweries in the UK’s largest beer hall, Big Penny Social.
The breweries will be joined by distilleries to add a cocktail element to the festivities. There will also be live music throughout and DJs playing as night falls and the vibes ramp up.
Attend Amnesty International’s Annual Conference
Shoreditch
4th November
If you take your activism and human rights campaigning as seriously as you wish other people would, you’ll probably want to get yourself down to the Amnesty International’s Annual Conference this month.
The event e is a chance to hear directly from some of the people in the movement, learn more about what Amnesty has been doing and their plans on what to tackle in the future.
There’ll be live music and food from around the world, and of course the chance to meet some like-minded people.
Hear Some Talks at Freud’s House
Hampstead
Multiple dates
Throughout November the Freud Museum are getting in some interesting speakers for a series of talks they’re calling Provocations. It’s a lovely venue too, the house of late legend of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud.
Talks include a conversation between Rory Cellan-Jones and writer/journalist Erica Wagner on the topic of Wagner’s book Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC, another conversation will see journalist Rachel Cooke discussing life-writing and capturing the soul.
Rachel Cooke will then be back later in the month with Bee Wilson to discuss comfort eating, the emotional role food plays in our lives and how it forms part of our identity.
Discover New Bands at Pitchfork Music Festival
Citywide
7th – 13th November
After a successful first few runs, Pitchfork is returning this month with music from big names on the indie, electronic, contemporary jazz, and hip hop scenes.
The festival takes place at a spread of London’s best music venues, the Roundhouse, and Hackney Church to name a few.
The list of performers and venues is as long as your arm. CHAI, Just Mustard and Greenwood are a few that jumped out at us.
If you consider yourself a fan of the music scene, or just love to see the stuff live, this is where you’ll want to be in November.
Check Out the Bombastic Lord Mayor’s Show
11th November
London never lets up when it comes to the wacky and wonderful. The Lord Mayor’s Show is our case in point.
A long-protected and time-honoured tradition that dates all the way back to the 13th century, the Lord Mayor’s Show happens annually when the City of London appoints a new mayor.
Originally the purpose of the event was to get the new mayor over to see the reigning monarch and swear allegiance to the crown.
Over the years (and centuries) the show became a spectacle – a parade of the most over-the-top costumes and bombastic floats. 2023 will mark its 801st year. Curious? This isn’t one to miss.
Check out details in our article here
Hear Some Great Jazz at EFG London Jazz Festival
Citywide
10th – 19th November
One of the most highly anticipated London events in November this year is the EFG London Jazz Festival, which sees heaps of jazz performances popping up across the capital.
Lots of names will be soothing our souls with their sounds throughout the festival, with highlights including the rhythmic tones of Eliane Correa’s Cuban Septet, as well as the Roxy Coss Quartet and a special one-night formation of supergroup, London Brew that boasts some of London’s hottest musicians: Dave Okumu and Benji B to name two.
We wrote a full guide to what you don’t want to miss. You can check it out in the link below.
Read More: The EFG London Jazz Festival is Set to Electrify the Capital in November
Play Curling
King’s Cross
From 9th November
Curling anyone? We’re not gonna lie here, it’s not something we’ve ever pictured ourselves playing. That said, we are dedicated to leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit of discovering all the quirky things to do in London.
In that vein, we’ll be popping by Club Curling in King’s Cross once it’s opened to check it out. The event is an annual thing and is joined by live DJ sets, a rather pretty light display and some pop-up bars and restaurants to peruse.
Hit Winter Comic Con
Kensington
11th + 12th November
Comic Book lovers and autograph hunters alike will be keen to hit this winter’s convention at the Olympia.
The gathering will be a meeting point for stars from all sorts of top comic con-type shows from Dr. Who to Game of Thrones, The Hobbit, Star Trek, and a heap more.
Kit Harrington is going to be there, as is Paul Bettany, (we love him in A Knight’s Tale). The list goes on. We’d need space-warping tardis technology to fit all the names here.
You can see the full crew, and book your tickets here
Go and See Some Polar Bears
Suffolk
Open already
If you’re looking for fun things to do in London in November, know that you can now go and see polar bears very near our fair city. The location is Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park in Suffolk and they happen to be Europe’s largest polar bear reserve.
They recently opened their doors to the public for the first time, giving interested folks like you (and us) a chance to check out the majestic predators up close and personal. You can also see reindeer and the UK’s largest pack of arctic wolves.
Check out an Exhibition on Sustainability
Notting Hill
Opens 15th November
The Museum of Brands will be opening a very cool new exhibition this month. It’s called Reuse, Refill, Rethink and it’s all about packaging and how we can make it more sustainable.
The exhibition covers how people packed things in the past and present, and then looks to the future to tackle the question of what we can do to make our impact on the planet less damaging.
Visit an African Women’s Art Show
St James’
From 17th November
Among the ever-pulsing art scene in this city there occasionally pops up an exhibition that really seems to hit home, something where the art and the artists involved seem to do more than just offer something nice to look at.
Dualities – Women’s Empowerment in Africa is doing just that. It’s a free show of art by African women who have been affected by and involved with charity work to combat disease and poverty on the continent. The work looks great and the stories of the women, not just incredibly moving but also inspirational.
See My Neighbour Totoro on Stage (Again)
The Barbican
21st November onwards
After having such a big hit landing the first time around, the stage production of My Neighbour Totoro is coming back to the London stage.
The play is a very faithful reproduction of the Studio Ghibli classic about the cuddly neighbour at the bottom of the garden. If you didn’t see it last time you should try to catch it now.
If you did catch it last time you might want to see it again…
The play will run from the 21st of November until the 23rd of March.
Explore the London Illustration Fair
The Southbank
24th – 26th November
This month marks the return and the ten-year anniversary of the London Illustration Fair. The event takes over the Bargehouse at the oh-so-iconic OXO tower and fills it full of artists and designers.
It’s really artist-led which gives it a nice grass-roots feel. You’ll be able to pick up or just browse all sorts of illustrated works on prints, t-shirts, mugs – basically the whole works – and get to know some of the minds behind the designs.
Go Ice Skating
Citywide
Multiple dates
With winter time comes heaps of wintery activities, probably our favourite of those being ice skating.
Heaps of the city’s popular pop-up rinks will be open for business throughout the month. Canary Wharf actually already opened theirs, but Battersea Power Station will follow on the 10th and Hampton Court Palace on the 17th.
Right at the end of the month (the 30th) Kensington Palace will open their own. It also happens to be the largest ever at a whopping 2,800 square metres. Get your skates on folks!
Take a Steam Train to a Festive Destination
Departs from King’s Cross
23rd + 28th November
Looking for something completely different? Like a whole city away and a ride on a romantic form of obsolete transport different? How about this for a trip away…
You can take a steam train from King’s Cross Station to Edinburgh (via York) where you’ll be able to spend a few days wandering the cobbled streets of some of the few cities in England as historic as London, or should you prefer, do the same in Bath.
Christmas markets have been promised at both locations if you’re not opposed to starting on the cheer a little early – though the dates for these do land at the end of the month so it’s not sickeningly early like when you start to see Christmas ads popping up in September…
London in November: Practical Tips
- London in November will be cold and probably pretty wet. Make sure you wear a coat.
- Book ahead for anything that is really jumping out at you events-wise. These things will sell out fast and you don’t want to miss out.
